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Chicken with Pickling Spices From Anjum's New Indian + The Book Review

I received the review copy of Anjum Anand's book Anjum's New Indian from Wiley Publishers recently. I was so excited to get hold of it and the moment I started browsing through the recipes, I fell in love with the book. I would love to describe it as " A collection of very good looking recipes". By the time I reached the 256th page, I was filled with the desire to try each and every recipe in the book.

For simple, modern and flavorful Indian food the whole family will love, Anjum's New Indian is the perfect book for home cook's looking to explore this exceptional cuisine.- ( from the book )

"The Indian Nigella Lawson" - Vogue

Anjum Anand needs no introduction. A rising star of Indian cooking, she is the host of Indian Food Made Easy in Cooking channel. This book, Anjum's New Indian is a collection of many of her favorites and the very best recipes from her cooking show.

Indian food has been misconstrued by people around the world as the one we get in restaurants with the overload of butter , cream and everything oily. But Anjum has presented here, the very regional recipes from all over the Indian sub continent in a simple, approachable manner that fits the modern busy lifestyle.

The layout of the book is simplistic and the photographs make you want to grab the bowl of curries off the page.Trust me this book gives a lot of photographic inspiration too :). Each recipe comes with a brief introduction of how she has approached the recipe and in between the pages of recipes , you can read her reminiscence about the experience she had in different regions of India. What appeals to me the most is that each recipe is the one I would love to try .

In picture:- Roganjosh From Anjum's New Indian

Most of the people out there believe Indian cooking is so complicated with sophisticated cooking techniques. But Anjum has been successful in showing that even the most difficult can be turned simple enough with all its deliciousness for a simple weeknight dinner . The straight forward, flavorful and easy to follow recipes comes with beautiful photographs and detailed cooking instructions, lucid to common man. Yet all this fit in a single page which is actually a big deal and bonus for sluggish cooks like me.

If you think you know everything about Indian cooking, be ready to get surprised.

In a tad, this book is simply awesome!!!!

.......Our Culinary relationship with India may be hundreds of years old, but i find it has developed into an honest one only over the last decade or so. This book is only a snapshot of the breadth and depth of cooking of this continent. It is impossible to explore every regional influence and include all the best dishes......This book has been a culinary journey for me as much as it might be for you, and I hope you enjoy it as mush as i have....... Says Anjum Anand in her Introduction.

In picture:- Spiced Poached peaches with cream + Punjabi Cranachan From Anjum's New Indian

No matter you are a novice or a well seasoned cook, if you love Indian cooking and the wonderful heavenly aroma of Indian spices wafting from your kitchen , add this to your culinary repertoire to explore the hidden treasures. Plus in this approaching holiday season this would make a wonderful gift to anyone who loves cooking.

Thank you Wiley Publishers for sending me the copy and giving me the opportunity to review this beautiful book .

As i mentioned before, i have the desire to try many recipes from the book like Goan shrimp cake, Bengali fish stew, Kashmiri chicken, Punjabi lamb chops etc etc and i settled on Chicken with pickling spices/Achari murg first. I wanted to make this ever since i had this in a party. I made it last day following her recipe and guess what it was Oh so good!!! We loved it and it is definitely gonna top "our most frequent chicken dishes". I added a tea spoon of red chili powder as extra to what her recipe calls forth. As she says " This dish is strong , spicy and evocative of the flavors of the pickle, so if you like them , give this a go"

Puree ginger and garlic with 3 tbspn of water and set aside. Now puree tomato with yogurt.
Heat oil in a large pan and all seeds.
When they pop up add ground Fennel, small onions and cook until golden.
Add the ginger garlic paste , ground cumin, coriander and turmeric.
Fry for 3-4 minutes over medium heat.
Add the chicken and brown lightly before stirring in pureed tomatoes , chiles and 1 1/4 cup water.
Bring to boil and simmer until chicken is tender, for about 20 minutes. Splash a bit water occasionally.
Uncover the pan, and brown the masala by reducing the gravy, for about 4 minutes.
Stir in 1/4 cup water , garam masala, salt and lemon juice to taste .
Stir in the fresh cilantro and serve.

Sarah,First things first :) You have done an exceptional illustrated review for the book,and everyone here in the food blogosphere is probably looking up on the net to find out more on Anjum's cooking techniques. Bravo :)!!! The chicken looks authentic too,can you believe this - I am invited for a dinner on the 13th and Achari Ghosht tops the menu on my host's list....I can't wait to try it after reading this recipe:)